Time Pieces
by Miss Mercury Blue
Summary: Angry for having been forgotten one too many times, Time has frozen the world of Wonderland in their week of celebration. Now it's up to the Mad Hatter and newcomer Allison to find him and set things straight. Will they find him in Time? COMPLETED.
1. Send in the Cavalry

Time Pieces

Chapter One - Send in the Cavalry

"'What is the use of a book, without pictures or conversations?'" Alice.

Allison Fisher grunted as she attempted to turn the doorknob. The door jamb must have swelled from the summer heat and was now giving the twenty-something year old a hard time.

"All," she grunted as she pushed against the door. "I want is to get inside."

Her hand was raw from turning the knob so hard and her grip was shot. Cursing, she tried the door with her left hand but still found that it wouldn't budge. Allison sighed in frustration and in one last resort slammed her entire weight against the wooden paneling while turning the knob and flew into the room and landed in a heap on the floor.

"Finally," she mumbled as she rose up to gather her things from the hallway. She deposited her luggage by the bed and collapsed onto it in exhaustion. Allison's heart was racing from the activity so she placed her hand on it to try to calm down. Taking deep breaths she began to relax.

England was strange. The accents were strange. The cars were strange. Even the estate Allison and her mother were staying in was strange. She may have never stayed in anything nicer than a Holiday Inn but this place took the cake. It wasn't just fancy, it was regal. The original owner, Alice Kingsleigh, had left it to her mother-in-law to care for while she traveled the world for their trading company. The mother-in-law apparently was quite extravagant and made the manor to appear in her image. Alice, however, must have preferred simpler things as her room, the room Allison currently resided in, was plain and unpretentious.

How did such a place fall into the hands of the Fishers? After being passed down generation to generation for close to one hundred and fifty years the deed fell into the hands of Allison's father and after passing away himself, he willed it to his only daughter. Her mother unfortunately quickly took control of the property and decided for the both of them that it would be best to sell it and use the profits for personal pleasure.

"This is a new house, a new car, college completely paid for, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity Allison," she had said when she first birthed the idea. Now they had to meet with someone from the bank to get the estate appraised before putting it on the market. Mrs. Fisher was fully confident it would sell in a heartbeat. Who wouldn't want a manor in the English country? Avarice wasn't very appealing in Allison's opinion, and unfortunately, her mother was the very definition of greed.

"Allison, the appraiser is here," her mother's head appeared in the doorway. "I'll be busy dealing with him so why don't you go entertain yourself somewhere else hmm? Maybe check out the attic or a couple of rooms?"

Allison sighed, "The attic sounds good."

"Great, just stay out of way okay? I really need this to sell!"

'Except that it's supposed to be mine.' Allison thought darkly.

"Yeah, I'll stay out of your way," she groaned.

Her mother quickly became stern and cold. "Don't give me that tone Allison Fisher, you want this just as much as I do so don't ruin it for the both of us!"

'Quit including me.' Fuming to herself Allison gave a curt nod.

Her mother disappeared from the doorway and Allison exhaled loudly before getting off the bed. Hopefully there'd be something interesting up in the attic to pass the **Time** with.

. . . . .

There was nothing interesting in the attic to pass the **Time** with. There were crates still nailed shut and wooden chests scattered around but nothing too terribly exciting. At least nothing from the surface. Allison was sure there'd be something fascinating in the wooden chests but she felt as if she was imposing on someone else's life. Maybe technically she was but Alice Kingsleigh wasn't around anymore to tell her so.

Pulling open the first chest she came across she found nothing but piles of old, worn books. Again, nothing exciting about a pile of musty, dusty books. Trying a different chest she discovered nothing but old photographs. Slightly interesting but Allison wanted something fun and stimulating not faded pictures. Third time's the charm so she opened a third chest and came across clothes.

Dress up! She could play dress up like she used to when she was a kid. This could have the potential to be fun and stimulating. Searching through the chest she brought out a fishtailed tiered purple dress with off-shoulder short sleeves. The front tiers were made of purple silk and still managed to shine in the light. Allison promptly undressed down to her underwear and slipped the dress on. It surprisingly fit perfect except for being a few inches too short. No harm, it'd just show off Allison's new red striped socks. Next she fished around for a pair of boots and cheered when she found them. She prayed they would fit as well as the dress and again to her surprise they did. It was almost as if she had been meant to wear them. She clicked her heels after lacing them up and tying a knot. Again she searched for anything else and found a pair of aged, holey gloves. One glove had the tips of the fingers eaten away while the other was missing the entire hand. They still managed to reach her elbows though.

Standing up to her new full height thanks to the boots, she spun around so that the dress would flare up and giggled when it did. Searching for a mirror, she found one underneath a dusty sheet and at once tore it off. Allison smiled at her reflection. She never really considered herself beautiful until now. Maybe she had been born during the wrong **Time** period. She played around with her hair before letting it fall back to her shoulders. Making a face she turned her back to her reflection and was caught by surprise to see a white rabbit in a waistcoat staring up at her.

It sniffed the air and put a paw on the ground towards her. Allison inhaled sharply, afraid to scare it but still unsure about the waistcoat. Who dressed their rabbits up? Maybe it belonged to the appraiser, but that would be unprofessional to bring a pet to a job site. So, who did it belong to?

She voiced the question. "And just who do you belong to?" Her voice was sweet and baby-like to avoid scaring the timid animal. Allison bent down and placed her hands on her knees to get a better look. The rabbit sniffed the air once more and out of nowhere leaped towards her. Allison shrieked in surprise and stepped back but ran into the mirror and tripped. She fell hard onto stone floor and was unconscious instantly.

Who knew how much **Time **had passed now.


	2. Through the Looking Glass

Time Pieces

Through the Looking Glass

"'I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, Sir, because I'm not myself you see.'" Alice.

Coming to, Alison opened her eyes and felt the stone floor. 'Wait, the attic had wood floors', she thought instinctively. Where in the manor had stone floors? 'Nowhere' was her answer. Her body froze as she lifted her head to see what was around her.

A giant monster loomed in her vision and, reacting quickly, Allison scurried to the wall and became as flat as possible against it. She exhaled when she noticed the monster was feeling and so began to search for a door. Her eyes landed one, all the way on the other side of the room, behind the monster. Allison could have banged her head against the wall if she knew it wouldn't wake the black dotted monster.

Sliding across the wall quietly and on her tiptoes, Allison slowly made her way to the door. Grasping the knob she prayed it would open easier than the door to her room back at the manor. She gave it a quick turn and unexpectedly it opened behind her. She fell out in a heap and seeing the monster make a movement, hastily made to shut the door.

Breathing heavily, Allison slowly melted down the door into a pile on the ground. She seemed to be quite acquainted with the ground. She slowed her breathing and closed her eyes to calm herself even more.

"Look at this,"

Allison's eyes snapped open at the voice and she slowly lifted her head to meet the person.

"Who is she?"

"Where'd she come from?"

Allison was greeted by a crowd of people who had all eyes on her.

"She smells like Alice," sniffed one boy of a pair.

"Contrary wise she don't look like Alice," the other pointed out.

"Maybe she's friends with Alice?" asked a flower with a face.

A flower with a face? Maybe Allison hit her head a little too hard and was now dreaming.

"Wait," she interrupted her thoughts. "Alice? As in Alice Kingsleigh?"

"Yeah!" the crowd cheered.

"She's dead," Allison slipped out before she could stop herself. These people clearly liked Alice Kingsleigh and now Allison had just told them she was dead.

"She's dead?" The crowd roared.

"Well yeah," Allison stammered. "It's been what, one hundred and fifty years?"

"But we just saw her last week!" yelled out someone from the crowd.

"Last week," asked Allison. "How is that even possible?"

Looking around for the first time, Allison saw a sad sight. The trees were barren, the land was slowly turning brown and desolate, and the sky was a dismal grey.

Drawing in a sharp breath, she examined, "I'm guessing your, whatever this place is, isn't supposed to look this dreary."

The crowd seemed to deflate simultaneously like wilting flowers, except this crowd actually had flowers in their company.

"This place was once beautiful," explained a flower.

"And now it's not," finished another.

"Yeah, but why?"

"Too many questions!" Someone shouted.

"Yes, like who are you?"

"And why do you smell like Alice-"

"If you're not Alice?"

"My name is Allison!" she shouted above the rumble of the crowd. "And I don't know why I smell like Alice! Now please," she begged in a softer tone. "Can someone tell me what's going on and where I am?"

There was a low murmur from the mob.

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that?"

"The White Queen can tell you!"

"Yes, take her to the White Queen!"

"Mirana will know!"

The whole crowd seemed to buzz with excitement at the mere mention of this person.

Allison breathed a sigh of relief. Finally a person who could explain a few things.

"Yes," she exclaimed. "Take me to the White Queen, Mirana-person!"

The crowd swarmed around her and the two twin boys picked her up off the ground. They began leading her down a trail and Allison quickly wondered if everyone was going. Soon she realized that in fact they were all taking her to this White Queen. Allison gulped, suddenly unsure of herself. Dream or not, meeting royalty was not her cup of tea. But they strode on in a rough single line with Allison in front with the twin boys.

"So, what are your names?" she asked hesitantly.

"I'm Tweedledee,"

"And I'm Tweedledum."

They answered in a row as if rehearsed.

"Oh," Allison was unsure as how to react. "Well, nice to meet you I guess."'

This whole situation was strange. Just like before when England and the cars were strange. Except this was stranger. It was as if Allison was in a completely different world. The thought made her pause. What if she was in a completely different world and this wasn't a dream after all? Where was she?

What was this strange place beyond the looking glass and how could Allison get back in **Time** before her mother noticed her missing?


	3. The White Queen

Time Pieces

The White Queen

"'If everybody minded their own business, the world would go a great deal faster than it does.'" The Duchess.

The White Queen was in her garden, speaking softly to the white roses growing along the path. Her gentle voice spoke of sunny, happy things to help the plants grow. She was about to continue on to the next bunch of flowers when she heard a mob of noise and looked up to see a crowd making their single file towards her castle. The Tweedles were in front with a strange woman in between wearing a strange Victorian-style dress.

Gracefully, she flurried to meet them, curious as to the new arrival. She was young, that much she could tell, and appeared quite confused and maybe a touch scared. Mirana hoped to change that, the negativity would affect the flowers.

The crowd gathered around them and Mirana took a good look at the young lady in purple. From the top of her brunette head to the bottom of her red-striped socks tucked into her black Victorian boots, she inspected the strange girl.

"Are you the White Queen?" she asked hesitantly.

Mirana smiled. "Yes, I am Mirana of Marmoreal. And you are,"

"Alice!" Tweedledum shouted before the girl could answer.

"Alice?" asked the queen uncertainly. "She doesn't look like Alice."

"Contrary wise," replied Tweedledee. "She smells like Alice."

"Yeah," the girl in question said. "I smell like Alice. But I'm not Alice. My name is Allison Fisher and I'm from Navasota, Texas, United States. Can you tell me where this place is?"

Mirana looked around at all the people and her smile faltered. "Maybe we should continue this inside?"

. . . . .

Allison looked around the inside of the castle. Everything was so…white. It was almost blinding. They had entered the grand hall where great icy blue pillars held up high ornate ceilings. Mirana took her seat in the blue checkered throne and stretched her hand elegantly out towards Allison who cautiously accepted it.

"Alice of Navasota, Texas, United States-"

"Allison," she couldn't help interrupting.

"Allison," the queen corrected with a smile. "You have come a long way and I'm curious as to know just how you got-"

"Your Highness!"

Everyone turned to see a white rabbit bounding in in a waistcoat. He stopped just before Mirana with a pant before continuing, "This Alice fell through the Looking Glass!"

"Allison," she corrected.

"'This Alice'?" questioned Mirana.

The rabbit nodded.

"What do you mean by that Nivens?"

"She smells like Alice and dresses like her."

"But she doesn't look like Alice," she said while scrutinizing Allison.

"That's because I'm not Alice Kingsleigh. I'm Allison Fisher."

"Tarrant should know!" shouted someone from the crowd.

"Yes, Tarrant would know if she's Alice!"

"Go get Tarrant!"

The crowd was in an uproar to find out if this was truly their Alice or just some imposter. Mirana sent a servant to find this Tarrant person. Allison wondered briefly if this would be her chance to prove that she truly wasn't Alice. They didn't even look anything alike! How could smelling like a person override physical appearance?

The crowd died down as the servant returned with a strange looking man. His orange hair was curly and puffed out under his hat, his eyes were odd colors and his clothes were only slightly bizarre. This Tarrant-fellow appeared to be quite the character.

"Tarrant Hightopp, it's good to see you," addressed the White Queen.

"And you as well, your highness," he replied. And with a quick turn of the hand, he whisked off his hat and swept into a deep bow.

Allison stood off to the side, unsure of what to do.

"Tarrant, we're in a bit of a spot here."

"How may I be of service?"

"You see this young lady here?" Mirana gestured towards Allison gracefully and the Hatter nodded.

"Everyone believes she is Alice but I'm not too sure. She doesn't look like Alice though she does smell and dress like her. What is your opinion on the matter?"

Tarrant turned his attention to Allison. She gulped, not liking the new attention from the stranger. He circled her like a hawk, scrutinizing every detail and at one point even sniffed her hair, making Allison flinch sharply.

"Well," he began as he returned to his spot in front of the queen. "It would appear, that she isn't Alice."

The crowd deflated and Allison had to admit that she was even a little disappointed.

"See," she said with a full throat. "I'm not your Alice."

"However," continued Tarrant, making everyone in the room including Allison pay closer attention. "Being that she does smell and dress like Alice, the only logical explanation is that she changed her hair. A lot can happen in a week."

"It's been one hundred and fifty years!" Allison burst out. "And I'm not your Alice!"

"My point exactly."

"No," she corrected. "Your point is that she changed in one week when it's actually been one hundred and fifty years!"

"Not here it hasn't," interrupted the White Queen.

"What do you mean? **Time** just moves slower here?"

Mirana sighed sadly. "If only that were true. But in reality, **Time** has frozen still during our week of celebration."

Allison was shocked. "**Time **is frozen here?"

She nodded. "**Time** is angry that we didn't include him in the celebrations of Frabjous Day. So he froze **Time** in protest. We've been stuck in this week for what seems like forever."

"Why didn't you invite him?" Allison asked curiously.

Mirana stood, looking uncomfortable. "We have a bit of a bad history with **Time**, don't we Tarrant?"

Tarrant remained silent and his eyes appeared to darken and change a slight red.

"Well, that's all grand and all but I really need to go. My mom might be looking for me. So, I'm going to wake up now and find myself back in the attic alone." Allison closed her eyes tightly, willing herself to wake up. After a few dreadfully long seconds, she opened her eyes slowly and deflated when she saw she was still in the company of the strange people stuck in **Time**.

"That usually works," she said with a frown.

"Try pinching!" suggested Tweedledum.

"That never works," Allison shrugged off the idea.

"Contrary wise, Alice did it," Tweedledee countered.

Allison glared. "I'm not Alice."

This whole ordeal was beginning to become tiresome.

"You're dreaming, I'm afraid," informed the queen.

"You mean this place and all you people are real, right now?"

Mirana nodded slowly.

Allison inhaled sharply. "I think I need to lie down for a minute."

She crumbled to the white marble floor as everyone moved to catch her. The White Queen ordered a bed to be ready for her and someone to carry her. Tarrant grabbed the crumpled girl and, carrying her, followed the servant to an empty bedroom. He placed her on the bed before leaving and returning to the White Queen.

. . . . .

Allison woke up in a strange room, again. At least she wasn't on the ground like last time. Rising to a sitting position, she looked around the small bedroom and was pleased to find herself alone. This would give her time to think about things for a bit. Like how in the hell did she get into a different world where **Time** was able to freeze? Thinking back, the last thing she did in the Kingsleigh manor was see the white, waist coated rabbit and tripping over the mirror.

Or maybe she went _through_ the mirror.

The thought scared her. How could someone go through a solid object and be transported to another world? Speaking of which, what was this strange place called?

She heard the door opening and in a quick movement, threw herself down back onto the bed and closed her eyes tightly.

"You said she came through the Looking Glass?" asked a sweet voice.

Mirana.

"Yes, your highness. She tripped and fell through. I'm afraid I startled her." explained a second voice.

The white rabbit, Nivens.

"What do we do with her, my Lady?" asked a third voice.

Tarrant.

Mirana let out a sigh that made Allison worry. "She can't get back without the Mirror and it only opens once every two weeks."

"Meaning," deciphered Tarrant. "She's stuck until **Time** unfreezes.

"She picked the wrong week to stumble into Underland." finished Mirana.

"She's going to want to go home your majesty. How do we do that?" asked Nivens.

'How indeed?' thought Allison, eyes still closed.

"We put together a small party to find **Time** and plead to unfreeze Underland. The plants are suffering. There's only so much words can do for them."

"And we're running out of food," added Tarrant.

"I know, the rations are running low."

"Who would travel that far my Queen? It's a long and treacherous journey," questioned Nivens.

Long and treacherous? Definitely not Allison's cup of tea.

"I will go your highness," offered Tarrant. "**Time** and I have some…unfinished business."

"You can't go alone Tarrant. I won't allow it."

"Perhaps, Alice could go with me?"

"I'm not Alice!" shouted Allison as she sat up in the bed furiously. "Quit calling me Alice! My name is Allison Fisher! Learn it and use it!"

Mirana smiled softly. "Miss Allison, I apologize for Tarrant's…forgetfulness." Her voice immediately calmed Allison and she felt silly for blowing up. "I hate to ask this of you, but would you be willing to join Tarrant on his quest to find **Time**? You can't leave Underland until it is completed."

Allison remained motionless. They were serious about her going on this long and treacherous journey?

She gulped. "I thought you said it was long and treacherous."

Mirana nodded sadly. "It is. But with Tarrant you should be safe." she added in hopes to further sway Allison's decision.

"You don't even know if I can…do adventures."

"I have faith in you Miss Allison."

"You don't even know me," she corrected as politely as she could.

Mirana shook her head softly. "But I am a good judge of character. And I can see that you have a brave heart hidden somewhere in you. Please do this for us, for you?"

Allison hated the position the queen just put her in. Surely, she couldn't say no to a queen. What if she chopped her head off for it? Liking her head too much, Allison swallowed down the no she wanted to say.

"Will I be able to go home after this?"

"Yes, of course," answered the White Queen.

Allison nodded hesitantly. "Alright, I'll go."

A heavy weight suddenly fell on her shoulders.

What had she just agreed to?


	4. Bridge Over Red Canyon

Time Pieces

Bridge Over Red Canyon

"Take care of the sense, and the sounds will take care of themselves." The Duchess.

The strange duo had made headway in their journey. Tarrant had informed Allison that they were almost to Red Canyon. Allison was just glad that she didn't have to wear a dress anymore. The queen had equipped her with a tunic, a skirt made out of some strange material that almost seemed like felt, and forest green tights. Not to mention another pair of brown boots but thankfully with a much smaller heel.

After walking several miles, Tarrant suggested they play a game.

"What kind of game?" Allison fleetingly hoped it wasn't "I-Spy".

"Let's play a riddle game," he announced with a smile.

"Alright, I'll go first," declared Allison. "What question can someone ask all day long, always get completely different answers, and yet all the answers could be correct?"

Tarrant paused in thinking. Allison smiled, knowing he wouldn't get it.

"I give up," he said with a smile, clearly enjoying himself.

"'What time is it?'" She proclaimed.

Tarrant appeared to look at his wrist then at the sun. "It seems to be almost noon."

Allison's face fell. "No, I'm not asking you what the time is, that's the answer."

"What's the answer?"

"'What time is it?'"

"Almost noon."

"No, that's the answer to the riddle."

"What riddle?"

"The riddle I just asked you!"

"Oh riddles," Tarrant exclaimed. "I love riddles. Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

Allison gave up on the ordeal and decided to just ponder a bit on his riddle. She thought long and hard before giving up.

"I don't know, what?"

"I don't know either!" Tarrant cried out with laughter.

"Well if you don't know then how can you ask me it? That's not fair."

"I was hoping you would know."

"Well I was hoping you would know too!"

"Know what?"

"The answer to the riddle!" Allison shouted. She was getting fed up with this little cat and mouse play and wished they hadn't started the stupid game in the first place. She cursed the strange man for suggesting it and herself for agreeing.

"You seem tense," Tarrant observed.

Allison growled through clenched teeth, "Of course I'm tense. I'm annoyed by this dumb game you suggested."

"You shouldn't be tense for long, we're almost to the bridge."

"Bridge, what bridge?" Allison asked quickly.

"The bridge over Red Canyon of course," he explained.

Allison stopped in her tracks. "No one said anything about a bridge."

Noticing she was no longer following, Tarrant stopped as well. "How else would we get over a canyon?"

"Is this canyon like the Grand Canyon or like the Little Grand Canyon?" she asked hesitantly.

Tarrant thought about it for a second before answering, "Well, I'm not sure what either of those canyons are but I'd say," pause to think again. "both."

"Both? How can it be both?"

"Well, naturally there are two."

"Two? No one said anything about two canyons!"

Tarrant thought about it for a moment. "I suppose we should start calling it Red Canyons."

"No duh!"

"Why is it such a problem?" asked Tarrant.

"Because it's going to be up high!"

"On the contrary," he corrected. "the bridges are at our level. No climbing involved."

Allison stared at him disbelief. Here she was, in a completely different world, carrying a pack that was rapidly getting heavier, and now she had to deal with heights. But Tarrant just couldn't seem to understand.

"Yes," she responded to Tarrant. "But the canyons are deep right?"

"Correct."

"Then therein lies the PROBLEM!" she shouted, totally frustrated with the situation. Seriously, it was one thing after another. First the riddle game, now the canyons.

"What problem?" Tarrant wasn't fazed by the shouting.

Allison swore she was about to cry, she was so exasperated. "The height problem Tarrant. I'm afraid of heights. It's a bit of a phobia."

"Who's afraid of heights?" he asked like it was such a rare fear.

"A lot of people in my world are," explained Allison.

"Then a lot of people in your world are silly."

"No, you're silly," she fought childishly. She sighed. "Can we just go before I completely quit on this thing and get stuck in this world forever?"

Tarrant gestured for her to walk in front of him and Allison obliged, passing him with a small glance. He smiled and followed her along the trail.

Tarrant was right that they were close to the canyons. It only took about ten minutes to reach the first bridge. Allison froze on sight, too afraid to move towards the rope crossing. Tarrant looked at her curiously.

"Something wrong?"

"What is your worst fear in the entire world?" she asked softly.

Tarrant pondered for a moment. He seemed to ponder a lot around this strange girl. He smiled when he thought of an answer, knowing it would be perfectly nonsensical. "Going absolutely sane."

Allison turned towards him, eyebrows knitted. "Excuse me?"

"You're excused," Tarrant retorted as he passed by her.

Allison watched as he neared the bridge. She took a deep breath and began to follow him. However, upon reaching the foot of it, she stilled again. "Tarrant," she called out as she stared at the wooden planks. "Tarrant!"

He was already almost halfway across when he heard her yell. He turned back and saw her motionless at the edge, staring down into the canyon. It didn't seem that deep to him. Tarrant made his way back and stood in front of the frightened girl patiently.

"We need to get going before it gets dark. We wouldn't want to cross the Red Desert in the dark," he urged.

Allison nodded silently, showing that she was listening. "Can we take this slow though? Until we reach the other side at least," she begged."

"Of course!" he enthused. "Nice and steady wins the race."

He gently grabbed her arm and helped her onto the first plank. By the fifth plank she began to shake as she realized they were no longer supported by the ground but now suspended over a canyon. At the midpoint, the ropes began to strain under their weight and Allison's shaking intensified.

"Let's go faster."

Tarrant nodded and led her across at a faster pace. Allison stared at the planks and made sure her feet were placed on each on as they passed along. She could see the other side getting closer and she asked Tarrant to increase the speed a little more. The faster she got to the other side, the better.

When the last few planks were ahead, Allison passed up Tarrant, taking her arm with her, and jumped to the other side. Feeling the firm, safe ground underneath her feet she collapsed to her knees. She was so happy to be on land again. Tarrant was right behind her, only he remained on his feet.

"Now we have the last one to cross."

Allison laughed. "You mean the Little Grand Canyon? That'll be a piece of cake after that one."

"Actually, this one is much bigger," Tarrant pointed out.

Allison stayed her movements and her laughter died instantaneously. "'Much bigger'? How big?"

"Just take a look for yourself," he pointed to the next obstacle lying right in front of them.

Allison stood and was petrified by what she saw. The canyon was massive in comparison to the first one. Not to mention the bridge looked more dilapidated and unsound than the last one. The shakes started to return. Tarrant noticed and rushed to her.

"It'll be piece of pie Alice."

"Allison," she droned.

"It'll be just as simple as the first one," he assured.

"This is the Grand Canyon Tarrant. I can't do this."

"Yes you can. You got past the first one. This is just the same."

"It's the Grand freakin' Canyon Tarrant!" she shouted. "How am I supposed to cross the Grand Canyon on some rickety, rotten bridge?"

"The same way you crossed the last rickety, rotten bridge, step by step, plank by plank," he responded evenly.

"I don't know if I can do this. You might just have to leave me here to die while you go on without me and probably end up getting eaten by a monster," she went off dramatically.

At the mention of the word "monster" a distant roar was heard. Both became stationary at once and listened hard. Tarrant had a worried look on his face and he seemed to turn a slight shade of blue.

"I think it's time we leave," he announced as he grabbed Allison's arm once more and began pulling her to the next bridge.

"What was that?" she managed with a whisper.

"I don't know and I'm hoping we won't find out."

Allison allowed him to tug her along and even stepped onto the ramshackle planks. The roar was heard again, much louder and much closer. It echoed through the canyon and Allison whimpered in fear.

"I don't know about this Tarrant. I mean, I'm just a college student, I'm no adventurer," she whined. "I'm no hero and I'm certainly no Alice."

Tarrant ignored her and instead just pulled faster. Their weight began to make the bridge creek and moan and Allison whimpered again. The roar was heard a third time, right underneath them. Tarrant grabbed Allison and braced for what would happen.

A giant monster flew up out of the canyon and the wind produced shook the bridge dangerously. Allison grabbed onto Tarrant who had a hold of the roped railing. She bit back a scream. Tarrant looked at the monster and instantly knew what it was.

"It's the mother Jabberwocky!" he shouted over the roar of the wind.

"The what?"

"We got to go!"

Tarrant pulled Allison up and began running across the bridge. Allison tried to slow down, tiring under the weight of her pack. He seemed to be oblivious when her arm slipped from his grasp. Trying to slow down enough to catch her breath Allison heard the roar again and looked up just as the Jabberwocky flew back down towards the bridge. She looked for Tarrant and saw that he was already almost to the other side, with her still in the middle.

Realizing Allison wasn't following him, Tarrant turned around and saw her still standing in the middle with the Jabberwocky in mid skydive.

Cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted, "Run Alice!"

Hearing his command, Allison took off. Her pack slowed her down but she was making good distance until she no longer felt the planks underneath her. The Jabberwocky had unleashed a mighty roar and a blaze of electricity blazed out and cut the ropes. Allison grabbed whatever she could as she fell and thankfully her hands gripped a plank. Her body slammed into the wall of the canyon but her grip remained strong.

"Climb Alice, climb!"

Allison followed his orders and began to climb up the planks like the rungs on a ladder. The Jabberwocky flew up above her and shrieked. Tarrant, having reached the other side safely, threw off his pack and reached down to grab Allison's wrists. The planks underneath her broke from her weight. She screamed as she felt her body lurch. Tarrant snatched her wrists and began attempting to pull her up.

"Your pack!" he shouted. "Undo your pack!"

Allison was shocked. "Then we'll only have half the supplies! We'll never have enough to make it back to Marmoreal!"

"Just do it!" he demanded.

Allison used one arm to unbuckle the straps of her pack and promptly felt the weight leave her body. Tarrant hauled her up easily. The Jabberwocky roared and began another skydive. Grabbing Allison, Tarrant made for a small brush cluster and hid underneath it.

Allison closed her eyes and held her hands over her ears tightly, wishing everything would just stop and go away. Not being able to find the two, the Jabberwocky roared a final time before retreating back to the canyon.

They emerged from the bushes hesitantly. Allison clutched Tarrant's arm in fear the monster would return. After standing still for a minute, they decided the beast wouldn't return and began to relax.

Allison crumpled to the ground in exhaustion. "I'm not cut out for this Tarrant. I quit."

Tarrant looked surprised. "You can't quit now Alice! You made it past the hardest part. Everything now will be easy compared to this, I promise."

Allison still looked uncertain and remained silent, not making eye contact. She felt bad for letting him down, especially after he saved her but how could anyone expect her to do this? She didn't sign up to be fried by a flying dragon-monster.

"Everyone is counting on us," Tarrant pleaded. "If we don't finish this, everyone could starve and a lot of people will die. You wouldn't want their deaths on your conscience would you?"

Apparently guilt trips were universal. Allison sighed and stood up unsteadily, still shaken by the bridge.

"Yeah, alright, let's go."

Tarrant smiled and he seemed to blossom and glow with happiness. "Off to the Red Desert!"

"Yes, yes, off to the Red Desert," Allison copied in monotone.

After experiencing what was perhaps the scariest thing in her life, how could the Red Desert be any more difficult?


	5. The Red Queen

Time Pieces

The Red Queen

"If it had grown up, it would have made a dreadfully ugly child; but it makes rather a handsome pig, I think." Alice.

The Red Desert wasn't as bad as Tarrant made it out to be. Sure, it was still arid and dry but no monsters or Jabberwockies had crossed them so far_. Allison decided to point that out to the madman next to her._

"They come out after dark," he clarified.

Nodding, "And how long till dark?"

Looking up he answered, "Judging by the sun, in about three or four hours."

"Oh, well we should make it by then correct?"

Thinking, "Maybe, hopefully, he smiled.

Allison gulped, her nerves flaring up again. "And what if we don't make it out by then?"

Tarrant looked at her seriously. "You don't want to find out. We just have to make it."

"Are they worse than that Jabber-what's-it-called?"

"Yes, but only because there, was one Jabberwocky and here, will be packs of them."

"Alright, let's stop talking about this." Allison's nerves were raging and she tried her best to calm down.

Noticing her discomfort, Tarrant suggested they play a game to get her mind off the troubling matters but Allison out rightly refused. She brought up the last time they had tried to play a game and what a failure it was.

"You still haven't told me the answer to your riddle, Tarrant." she reminded.

"That's because I don't know the answer. I was asking you." he said with a smile.

Sighing, Allison silently gave up on the matter and just continued walking. She was thankful the boots were mid-calf or else she was sure sand would be filling them instantly. The journey so far was a disaster in her opinion though Tarrant promised they were making headway. The next big obstacle would be the Gigglet Swamp, which housed not nearly the same monstrous creatures as the desert did.

Glancing at the man beside her, she thought briefly about what he would look like with a tan and a haircut. Tarrant met her stare, noticing she was looking at him.

"Is there something the matter?" he asked.

Allison jumped and snapped her attention forward, no longer staring at him. "Nothing, I was just thinking."

"About why a raven is like a writing desk?"

Allison rolled her eyes. Did he think of nothing else other than silly riddles? "Yes, Tarrant, I was thinking about you riddle," he waited for an answer. "I still don't know the answer."

Tarrant's smile faltered in disappointment. "Shall we continue on?"

They maintained their speed for the latter part of the day but as evening fell upon them, they quickened their pace. Allison started feeling anxious when she noticed Tarrant looking around cautiously. Night was just upon and they were still in the Red Desert. Allison began worrying that they would never make it out in time.

"Wait," Tarrant announced. "Look!"

Allison scanned the area, searching for what he was pointing at and smiled in relief when she found it. It was a strange light a short distance away.

"It's probably a fire!" Allison exclaimed with delight. "That means people should be there, right?"

Tarrant nodded. "Let's hope they are. . . pleasant."

'Yeah and not crazy like the rest of these people.' Allison thought to herself.

They quickened their pace even more to a light jog as the sun disappeared under the horizon. Noises and strange, wild calls could be heard around them, making the two worry that they wouldn't be able to make it out in time. Allison briefly wondered why they weren't equipped with anything to protect themselves with. All they had were food, water, and a couple of blankets. Nothing to scare off monsters.

Just as the calls and noises seemed to closed in around them, they hit dirt, the sand beginning to fall far behind them. They slowed their pace.

"Are we out of the Red Desert?" Allison asked Tarrant.

He shook his head and answered, "We're on the outer lands. We still have a ways to go before he hit Gigglet Swamp."

"But we can go to the fire first right? I need to rest after all this stress."

Tarrant nodded and approached the camp. He paused, hearing voices. Allison paused too, wondering why they were stopping. They hid behind a bush.

"I know that voice," explained Tarrant in a whisper.

Allison strained to hear and could make out two people talking. Arguing was more like it. "Who are they?" she asked in a whisper.

His eyes and his face reddened. "The Red Queen," he growled.

Allison became nervous at the change in his tone. She didn't like the malice hidden in it. She posed her question hesitantly, "Who's the Red Queen?"

Tarrant looked at Allison. "An evil, foul, vile, revolting-"

Just as he was about to go off on a tangent, Allison grabbed his arm and whispered, "Tarrant, you need to calm down or they'll hear us!"

"Too late," answered a voice above them.

Allison screamed in surprise and Tarrant jumped up to tackle the stranger. Allison stood as well to watch them struggle on the ground. The man had long, long legs and long, long, arms. It was as if he had be stretched and pulled. She began shouting for them to stop and in the midst of her pleading she realized she wasn't the only one shouting. She looked up and saw a woman with a strangely large head ordering the two to stop fighting.

Allison grabbed Tarrant at the first opportunity she had, and pulled with all her might. He allowed her to pull him off the stretched man with the woman beginning to beat him with a heart shaped wand. Tarrant huffed, out of breath as Allison held him back. Clearly this man didn't have a good reputation either.

"Who are you?" demanded the woman.

Allison stepped in front of Tarrant, making sure he wouldn't go into attack mode again. "My name is Allison Fisher and this is-"

"I know perfectly well who he is!" the woman interrupted. "He, his Alice, and my sister ruined my life. How is a queen expected to live out here like this?"

"You're a queen?" posed Allison.

"Down with the Red Queen!" Tarrant burst out.

"Tarrant," Allison scolded.

"I was a queen," she explained. "Until that Alice killed my baby Jabberwocky and started a revolution against me! My sister, precious Mirana, banished us out in this abysmal place."

"Mirana, the White Queen, is your sister?"

The Red Queen huffed and rolled her eyes while fanning herself with her wand. "Do I have to explain everything twice to such a lowly subordinate?"

Bristling, Allison ignored the ex-Queen's tone and instead asked, "Can we stay here for the night?"

"Why?" she asked sharply.

"Because we don't want to go through. . . Giggly Swamp in the dark." She struggled with the name.

"Gigglet Swamp," corrected the man.

Allison repeated herself with the right name and waited for the queen to give an answer. She took her sweet little time though, dragging out the seconds with joy. She was pleased to see Allison and Tarrant getting anxious and impatient.

"I suppose," she started before pausing again. "You could," pause. "Stay for the night."

Allison breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. . ." she broke off, not knowing what to call the ex-queen.

"Iracebeth," she announced. "And this is Stayne."

Allison nodded to the man who only turned his head away.

"Why are you out here?" Iracebeth demanded.

"We're on a journey to find Time and apologize for not including him in the celebrations." Allison explained.

"Oh, well Hatter, you'll know all about Time won't you?" teased the Red Queen.

Glancing at Tarrant, Allison saw him redden in anger again. She grabbed his wrist and gave it a squeeze to shake him out of his rage. It seemed to work as color returned to his face and his posture eased. Iracebeth raised a brow but didn't question anything.

"You can stay for the night, but one night only."

Allison nodded in understanding and led Tarrant to the campfire. Tarrant dropped his pack and drew out the blanket. He stared at it and then at Allison. Allison just stared back in question, unsure of what he was thinking. He held out the blanket to her in silence. Allison shook her head and gestured for him to keep it.

"You'll get cold tonight," he informed.

"But it's yours. I lost mine back at the canyons. You sleep with it." Allison recommended.

Tarrant giggled unannounced. Raising brows, Allison could only guess what he found so funny. Ignoring the giggling man, Allison made herself comfortable on the ground near the warm fire. The blanket fell on top of her and Allison growled in annoyance.

Sitting up, she said, "I told you to keep it."

"You'll get cold tonight," he repeated.

"I don't care. It's yours, you keep it."

It was useless. No one would accept the blanket so Allison came up with a way to please both parties. She laid the blanket out on the ground and gestured for Tarrant to join her in sleep on it. It would be close contact but at least no one would have to sleep on the cold, hard ground. Tarrant made himself comfortable beside Allison and tipped his hat over his eyes, pillowing his head with his arms. He was asleep instantly and Allison smiled at how peaceful the madman appeared. Sighing, she too made herself comfortable and rested on her side, back to the man next to her. She closed her eyes and began to drift asleep when a thought popped up in her head.

"Tarrant," she whispered softly.

"Hm?"

"Why does everyone say you have a bad history with Time?"

Eyes still closed, hat still tipped, he told Allison the story of how he was accused of trying to kill Time and the trial he was forced to go through. She turned over to face the strange man in order to pay more attention. She felt bad that he had to go through a whole trial for something so silly, and something that wouldn't have happened had it not been for the Red Queen.

"What happened to her castle?"

"Most of it remains unused but some of it has been turned into living spaces for those who want to live there. It's falling apart as we speak."

"Well yeah," agreed Allison. "One hundred and fifty years will have that effect."

Tarrant paused before asking, "Has it really been that long?"

Allison nodded before remembering that he couldn't see through his hat. "Yeah."

"And Alice?"

Allison hesitated, not wanting to tell him the terrible truth. "Let's just say I'm a descendant of her."

He seemed to ignore her. "Why are you here Alice?"

"Son," she added to make it her correct name. "I fell through a mirror in the manor that belonged to your Alice. My mother has probably sold the place already. You know, I never liked my mother. I know that's terrible, but she's never been a mother to me. More like a boss."

Allison continued talking about random problems that would cross her mind. She figured Tarrant had fallen asleep a while back but she didn't know that he listened to every single word she whispered to him. He heard every complaint, every secret, and every mundane fact thrown out.

Allison sighed at the end of her long monologue. "You know, I could almost say that I don't want to go back. There's nothing there for me. I'm failing school, I'm failing my mother, I'm failing my job. What's my motivation?"

And that was the difference, Tarrant decided, between his Alice and this one. His Alice had a reason to go back and this one had none. She was just a poor girl with nothing to lose who had fallen into a mad world.

Maybe she too was turning slightly mad.


	6. Gigglet  Swamp

Time Pieces

Gigglet Swamp

"It would be so nice if something made sense for a change." Alice.

"It would be nice," Allison started as she helped Tarrant pack up their little camp. "If this Gigglet Swamp was simple and easy to get through."

Tarrant packed the blanket back into his sack before answering, "It will be much easier than the canyons."

"Oh, that's a relief. The Red Desert wasn't so difficult in the daytime but it was getting kind of intense those last few moments."

"I believe they were circling us."

"You mean they would have attacked us if we hadn't reached the camp in time?"

"Exactly." Tarrant finished.

They both looked down at the pack.

"I guess it's time to go?" asked Allison.

Tarrant smiled with a nod. "Yes, before it starts getting late again."

Allison agreed and made her way to the Red Queen and her Knave. They both looked up as she approached.

"Well, we're gonna hit the road," she announced.

Iracebeth gave her a "so-what" look, making Allison continue, "So I guess this is goodbye. Thanks for letting us stay and it was nice meeting you?" She was beginning to become quite unsure of herself, standing in front of the two outcasts.

"Alice, it's time to leave!" Tarrant saved her from continuing awkwardness.

Not even correcting him, Allison waved and joined Tarrant as they continued on their journey. Trees began to thicken and grow closer together making everything darker and cooler. Allison grew slightly uneasy but Tarrant's grin made her relax. She moved closer to him as the woods grew darker still.

"Scared?" he asked with a smile.

She ignored his question and instead commented, "If it gets any darker, I won't even be able see my own hand in front of my face."

"Quite the dodgy one aren't you?"

"What?"

"We should be getting there soon."

But at the end of his statement, they heard a terrible crash. Whipping around to find the noise they found a great beast standing before them. The crash came from a few knocked down trees. It was big, big like the monster Allison first encountered in the shack when she fell through the mirror. It roared and the blast nearly knocked over the two. Tarrant's hat went flying and he cried out.

"Tarrant!" Allison shouted, knowing it was not the time to cry over a lost hat. "Run!"

They took off together through the woods with the monster trailing behind them. The trees only grew thicker as they got deeper and Allison feared she would run into one.

"Gigglet Swamp is just up ahead!" Tarrant shouted.

Allison looked over and realized he was no longer beside her. She focused back on her running and avoided any trees that seemed to pop out of nowhere. The monster was on her heels and chased her to a small overhang. Allison didn't wait in jumping. She landed hard on the ground and groaned in pain. The monster paused and roared, angry that it couldn't continue. It gave up on the chase and turned and fled, hoping to find something else.

Allison breathed a sigh of relief. How many times was she going to have to run from monsters in this world? Standing, she saw Tarrant's hat lying on the ground a few yards off.

"Tarrant will be happy to see this," she spoke to herself.

She grabbed the hat and dusted it off. She never really got a good look at it but now she could see every stitch and detail. It seemed worn and old, as if he had had it for a long time. Allison guessed he must have had some attachment to it and placed it on her head for safekeeping. It was slightly large and fell just over her eyebrows. Tipping it back to see better, she began her trek through the swamp land. Marshes surrounded her and she only had a small strip of ground to walk on. Allison was making some headway until she ran out of ground and was completely surrounded by the swampy waters. Looking around for something to cross the swamp with, she found a ropelike-vine wrapped around a tree trunk. Grabbing it tightly in her hands, she pulled hard for it to tear off the tree. With the vine loose, she checked to make sure it would hold her weight. When she was fully satisfied it would hold, She backed a few paces to get some room to run. She checked her grip and ran for it. Allison pulled up her body as she jumped and flew through the air. She was almost to the other side when the vine tore from the branches and she fell into the water. Only, she hit hard ground, the dirt flying up in a cloud.

She didn't feel wet. . .

The water wasn't touching her! It was amazing, Allison held out her hand to the water and it parted around it. She felt like Moses as she stood and took a couple of steps forward. Still, the water cleared for her in a perfect circle around her body.

"Stranger and stranger," Allison muttered to herself.

She straightened out the hat on her head and began trekking across the marsh ground.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Allison spun around at the sound of the voice. She hoped it wouldn't chase her like all the other things. Allison was shocked to find what had spoken.

"Are you a crocodile, or an alligator, maybe?" she asked hesitantly.

"I'm an allidile," it replied. "And I want that hat that sits so loosely upon your head."

Allison instinctively grabbed the hat. "You can't have it."

"But I want it," the crocodile-look-a-like growled.

Shaking her head she retorted, "It's not mine to give away. I have to return it."

The allidile grinned. "I can return it to this person," it laughed.

"No," she insisted firmly. "I'm not giving you this hat."

"Look, I'll cut you a deal. You're in my territory Meat," Allison swallowed nervously at being called "meat". "and if you answer my riddle correctly, I'll let you and your delectable hat go. But if you answer wrong, you give me that hat!"

"Deal," she agreed nervously. She wasn't happy about playing another riddle game but the one thing Allison Fisher was good at, was solving riddles.

Grinning, the allidile began, "How doth the little crocodile improve his shining tail, and pour the waters of the Nile on every golden scale?"

Allison was stumped. She had never heard this riddle before and had no earthly idea. But she couldn't lose Tarrant's hat. It was important to him and he'd be furious to know she had lost it.

Still though, nothing came to mind. Seeing her stumped, the allidile's grin grew to show all of his white, sharp teeth.

"How cheerfully he seems to grin, how neatly spreads his claws," he appeared to be preparing for something. "And welcomes little fishes in with gently smiling jaws!"

The allidile snapped and jumped over Allison's head, taking the hat with it in it's jaws. Allison gasped and lunged to take it back. The allidile swam around her, always staying just far enough out of reach.

"Uh, uh," tsked the swamp creature. "You lost the game, so I win this scrumptious hat.

"Give it back!" Allison demanded. "You didn't even let me answer!"

"I could see in your eyes that you did not know the answer. You're eyes are so open. May I have them?"

Ignoring the request, Allison demanded once more that the hat be returned. The allidile shook its head no and repeated that it had won and Allison had lost.

"I don't care about your stupid riddle games! It wasn't even a riddle, it was a poem!"

"You're just upset because you lost."

"I'm upset because you won't give me that hat back!"

"Your friend can just get a new hat. This one is mine now."

Allison paused, unsure what it meant about "friend". "What do you mean?"

"Your friend walked by here not long before you. And he looked quite. . . hatless."

"Which way was he going?" Allison got excited. If Tarrant wasn't too far away, she could easily find him.

"The same as you until you fell into my waters." The words rolled off his tongue smoothly like liquid.

"Then he must be close and I can catch up with him!" she exclaimed happily. "But then I must get that hat back!"

The allidile rolled his eyes slowly. "I grow tired of your demands. If you want this hat back so badly, then you'll just have to catch me."

Allison knew it would be impossible. He was always in the water and the water was always parting for her. She'd never be able to reach him. But it was her only chance.

Taking the opportunity for a possible surprise attack, she lunged without an answer and grabbed for the hat. The allidile was too quick for her though and swam just out of her grasp. This continued, Allison chasing the allidile and the allidile swimming away just as she was about the touch the hat. It was toying with her, she decided. She began to grow frustrated when two minutes passed by of the same cat-and-mouse routine. Trying one last time to make a grab for it, she snapped when it slipped by for the umpteenth time.

"STOP IT!" she cried out. The words echoed throughout the Gigglet Swamp. One moment she was dry and the waters still parted, and the next the waters came crashing and swallowed her up.

Twisting and rolling at the bottom of the swamp she swam for the surface and choked for air once surfacing. Allison saw the hat floating a few feet away and swam to grab it. This time she felt the material in between her fingers and clutched onto it tightly. She began swimming for land and as she reached the shallow waters and could now walk, she worried about how soaked everything was. Placing the hat back atop her head she shook out her arms to shake off as much of the water as possible.

She heard a rumble of laughter and looked back to see the allidile chuckling at her. Allison glared and continued shaking when she noticed a peculiar thing. The beads of water were rolling off on their own accord and trundling back to the marsh. Knitting her brows, she watched the water roll from her and slowly she began to dry as they left. Allison took off Tarrant's hat and brushed it, watching the water fall and joining the others. In no time she was dry and ready to find Tarrant.

Placing the hat back on her head, she began trekking in the direction she believed Tarrant had walked. And after walking ten minutes, she tripped over something and caught herself with her hands before she could land on her face. She was shocked to see what she had tripped over.

"Tarrant!" she cried in glee.

Tarrant rubbed his head and picked himself up before helping Allison to her feet. "Alice!"

"Son," she added.

He looked to the ground and saw his hat sitting on a pile of leaves. "My hat!" he cried out in glee this time.

Allison laughed softly as she watched him grasp his hat swiftly and placed it on his head happily. He smoothed his fingers along the brim and turned to Allison and smiled.

"You took good care of it?" he asked.

Allison hesitated unsure whether or not to tell him about the allidile. But he gave her a look that made her want to spill everything.

"I was intercepted by an allidile," she began her explanation of the events that had just taken place in the marsh. She told him about the riddle game and losing the hat, about the chase and way the water rolled off when she was on land. He listened intently, his face clearly showing every emotion from anger to intrigue.

When she finished her tale, he remained quiet for a few moments before saying, "At least you got my hat back safe and sound."

Allison sighed in relief, glad he wasn't mad at her. "I'm glad you aren't mad at me Tarrant."

He gave her a look and retorted, "We're all mad here."


	7. The Duchess

The Tim Pieces

The Duchess

"There's a large mustard-mine near here. And the moral of that is - The more there is of mine, the less there is of yours." The Duchess.

Getting out of Gigglet Swamp was simple now that Allison and Tarrant had reunited. They didn't run into any other monsters or creatures or troubles, something Allison was quite thankful for. Tarrant promised that they were getting close to finding **Time**.

"What are we going to encounter next?" asked Allison.

"Well," thought Tarrant. "We passed the Red Canyon, the Red Desert, and Gigglet Swamp. All that's left are the Red Plains."

"What's with all the 'Red'?"

"We are in Crims," He stated as a matter of fact.

They continued on in silence walking for a few miles before something off in the distance caught their attention. It looked like a castle, and Allison hoped whoever was inside would be kind enough to let them rest for the night. Her feet weren't used to all this activity and were in pain. Tarrant appeared to be just fine and handling all the walking quite well.

"Is that a castle?"

"It would appear so."

"Is that Iracebeth's castle?"

"No," answered Tarrant. "We missed that back in the Red Desert. I don't know who's castle this is."

"Let's hope they'll allow us to stay. I'm getting tired. Actually," Allison paused to take a breath. "I need to stop and rest for a while."

Tarrant agreed that they could break for a breather and began to unbuckle his pack. He placed it on the ground near a shrub and sat down with Allison joining him. She sighed in relief and stretched out her legs, flexing her feet. The boots she had been given really weren't suited for long treks such as this. Tarrant removed his hat and laid out, using his pack as a pillow. Again, he placed the hat on his face to cover his eyes.

Just as they were beginning to really relax, there was a shout from the bushes. Allison jumped in surprise and got to her feet in a hurry with Tarrant following suit, placing his hat back on his head in a flurry of motion. Out leapt what looked like playing card soldiers, all holding spears and swords. Allison grabbed Tarrant for protection as the cards began to circle them.

"What's going on?" Allison shouted in panic.

"Who do you work for?" Tarrant asked as his countenance began to redden.

"The Duchess!" yelled out a card.

"Who's the Duchess?" Allison posed.

One card stood out and became the ringleader of their little show. "She is the Blue Star, the next Queen of Crims, soon to be called Ceru."

"Ceru?" Allison questioned. "Tarrant, what are they talking about?"

"The Duchess didn't use to live in the Red Plains, she must have moved once the Red Queen fell. She has a nasty temper."

The leader went on to explain. "You are trespassing in Her Majesty's terrain and must be taken in as captives."

"Captives?" Allison echoed as the cards closed in on them and chained their wrists and ankles.

The cards ignored her as they rounded them up and forced them to march in single file, Allison in front, to the castle. The blue stronghold stood before them menacingly. Everything about the castle made her nerves flare up. From the tower steeples to the turrets. Nothing about it gave her a good feeling. Especially not when she had spears poking her in the sides, guiding her along.

They entered the cerulean doors and stopped in the middle of the huge foyer. The cards looked up to the balcony, making Allison and Tarrant look up instinctively. A woman walked out and leaned against the stone railing elegantly. She was beautiful. Her blond hair curled perfectly down her backside and her dark eyes sparkled suspiciously. Allison instantly felt inferior to be in the presence of someone so striking. She looked to Tarrant to see his reaction but he seemed unfazed. That made her feel slightly better, believing that at least the woman didn't have an affect on her male counterpart.

"Who do we have here?"

Even her voice rang out charmingly.

"Trespassers, my Queen," announced the leader card.

"Trespassers? No, I would say they are guests, special, honored guests."

"Guests my Lady?"

She sighed softly. "I haven't had guests in ages. Please, unshackle them and show them to a room they can stay in." She turned to address Allison and Tarrant. "I am so sorry about this, please excuse them. They are new."

She descended down the marble staircase with poise and grace that could rival Mirana. She glided to the prisoners, now guests, and smiled.

"Welcome to Ceru, my _guests_," she emphasized, hinting at her guards to unchain them.

"Oh, yes, right away my Lady."

The guards jumped into action and hurriedly took off the binds.

"Prepare their rooms," she ordered kindly.

The cards took off down the halls, leaving the Duchess with Allison and Tarrant.

"I hope they didn't treat you too badly."

"On the contrary," commented Allison. "That was probably the best I've ever been treated as a captive." Of course, she had never been a captive before.

"I've had worse," expressed Tarrant.

The Duchess corralled them together and began to lead them down one of the many halls. As they went, she explained how she acquired the ex-Red Queen's soldiers.

"They had no where to go afterwards. Yes, some were able to integrate back into society but others felt that their lifestyle was too hard to let go. People get stuck in routine and all. So, I agreed to take them on as my soldiers since every queen needs an army to protect her." She glanced at Tarrant from the corner of her eye. "And a knight in shining armor to be her king."

Allison almost stopped dead in her tracks. The Duchess so obviously made a pass Tarrant and she wasn't sure she liked that. They were on a quest, there was no time for silly things like courting. Looking to Tarrant to see his reaction, she was once again relieved to see that he wasn't even fazed by her charms.

"Maybe someone will show up soon," Tarrant replied politely.

Allison nearly burst out laughing but managed to keep it in. Tarrant obviously blew off the flirtatious comment, something Allison was very thankful for.

The Duchess stopped in front of a door and made a flourish of hand movements to present it. "This will be the young lady's room. I'm sorry, I never got your names."

Allison stepped towards the door before being cut off by Tarrant. "I am Tarrant Hightopp and this is Alice Fisher."

"Actually," Allison butted in. "It's Allison Fisher."

"You two don't know each other well?"

"We've only known each other about three days," answered Allison.

"Oh, that's not much time at all," the Duchess commented with a mysterious glint in her eye.

Allison nodded slowly, unsure as to what she could possibly mean.

"Well this is your room Miss Alice Fisher."

"Allison," she corrected.

But the Duchess was too distracted by Tarrant to apologize or correct herself. "Yes, yes whatever."

Glaring, Allison pushed open the door and closed It in their faces. She leaned against it and sighed. Why was she being so moody? So what if the Duchess showed some interest in Tarrant? He apparently either doesn't notice or doesn't care. Exhaustion spilled over her and she began searching for a bed. It didn't take much effort to find since it was right in the middle of the room. It was a queen sized bed with four posts at the corners, attached with curtains. Allison threw herself down on the bed, completely tired from head to toe, and drew the curtains close to block out the light of the sun coming in through the window. She laid her head down and before she could even think, she was fast asleep.

Meanwhile, the Duchess was giving Tarrant a different kind of tour. She would stop at every door and explain to him its purpose. When she finally got to his room, she told him it was specially reserved for him, the master guest suite. It had its own bathroom attached, unlike Allison's who would have to walk to one. Which the Duchess just so happened to forget to show her where it was.

"I'll send someone to get you when dinner is ready," she said.

Tarrant thanked her respectfully and entered his guest room. It was more lavish than Alice's but Tarrant didn't know that. He figured her room was just as well equipped as his. Sitting on the king sized bed, he took off his shoes and stretched out his toes, wiggling them to and fro in his striped socks. He wondered what Alice was doing at the moment and decided to go for a quick visit, before he rested.

Slipping back into his shoes and lacing them up, he stood at full height and made for the door. When he opened it however, the Duchess was standing there arm raised in a manner that indicated she was just about to knock on his door.

"Oh Tarrant," she greeted in false surprise, her voice dripping with sweetness. "Such a surprise to see you."

"Did you need something?" Tarrant really wanted her to go away so that he could see Alice, maybe even play another riddle game with her.

"Oh I was just wondering if you would like to join me for dinner?"

Tarrant thought for a second. "What about Alice?"

The Duchess seemed to falter in her grace but recovered smoothly. "I've already seen her, she's fast asleep." Of course, the Duchess was lying, she had no intention of seeing Allison. Tarrant was the man she was after.

"I suppose then I could join you."

The Duchess smiled, clearly pleased. "Oh Tarrant, you're going to love what we have prepared," she continued rambling on about how wonderful the food was but Tarrant just tuned her out and began thinking about Alice. He didn't like doing something without her. This was their journey, their quest, they should be together. As they passed Alice's door, he almost wanted to knock on it to wake her. But he refrained, letting her get some much needed sleep. He just followed the Duchess to the dining hall and took a seat where she gestured to. She sat across from him and smiled. He smiled back, not sure what they were happy about. He certainly wasn't happy.

The Duchess began talking about _everything. _From her lineage to the reason she chose blue to decorate her master bedroom with, she told Tarrant everything she possibly could. Tarrant just nodded politely, smile still pasted on. When she finally paused, Tarrant rushed in.

"Will Alice be receiving any food?"

The Duchess hesitated, somewhat upset that Tarrant still thought about the girl even while in her stunning presence. "Yes, I'll have food sent up as soon as she wakes."

The conversation then turned to Tarrant. The Duchess would ask questions and he would give a short answer. They discussed hat making, clearly his favorite topic. She was pleased to see his eyes sparkle when he talked about sewing and cutting fabric. She liked that look in his eyes and only hoped that someday his eyes would sparkle when turned upon her.

In the meantime, Allison just started to stir from her sleep. She heard voices coming from outside the curtain and could make out two rectangular shapes. She slowed her breathing and laid still, to eavesdrop in on their conversation that they were so adamant on whispering about.

"The Duchess sure does like that Hatter fellow," commented one card soldier.

"Yeah, when do you think she'll get rid of the girl?" asked the other.

"Pretty soon for sure. Maybe even in the morning."

"What is she going to do?"

"Behead her probably."

Allison inhaled sharply. So the Duchess was planning on killing her and then marrying Tarrant? She had to stop this somehow. But for now she continued to lay silent. The two cards changed their conversation to something so trivial that Allison almost dozed off again. Who could make an entire conversation on croquet?

The cards soon left and Allison drew back the curtains to see the reason they were in her room in the first place. Food had been placed on the bedside table. She must have missed dinner. She wondered if Tarrant missed it too. She grabbed the plate and began eating the food. It was cold, and tough, barely edible. But it would have to make do. Allison hadn't eaten since they had left Iracebeth's camp that morning.

She heard a knock on the door and put down the plate of food to answer it. She opened it to find Tarrant waiting on the other side. He pushed her back inside and shut the door behind him. He seemed tense and his face had a slight tint of green. Allison knew something was wrong.

"We need to go," he announced.

Allison was taken aback by his unexpected declaration.

"What do you mean?"

"This _Duchess_ is a little too interested in me and a little too not interested in you."

"I know," Allison disclosed. "I heard some soldiers talking about how she wants to behead me."

Tarrant's face turned as red as a cherry and his whole demeanor changed drastically. What he said next was in a dark voice that Allison had never heard before. "That repulsive, revolting, rotten, REPELLENT-"

"Tarrant!"

He snapped out of his rant.

"Thank you," he said in a squeaky voice. Tarrant quickly regained his composure. "Then we must leave as soon as possible. Leave your things, we're escaping now."

Allison nodded in understanding, the food wasn't that great anyways.

"What about your pack?"

"We're leaving that too. We need to leave _now_."

"But our food and water and-"

Allison was cut off by Tarrant grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the door. He hauled her down the hall until they reached the grand foyer and made for the large double doors.

"Tarrant wait!" cried the Duchess as she ran out onto the balcony. Her appearance had changed from an air of elegance to ugly and crude. Allison screamed at her change in appearance, completely intimidated by her ferociousness.

But Tarrant kept a cool demeanor and continued pulling Allison towards the doors. He pushed against them and yelled at Allison to help him. Obliging, she slammed her weight against the marble door and for a second had a flashback to the very beginning of her adventure. Where she was trying to open the door to her room back at the Kingsleigh manor. And in that instant, Allison realized that she didn't even miss home or her mother or school. She was completely satisfied with running from monsters and traveling all across the land with Tarrant.

They finally got the doors to open enough for them to squeeze through. Tarrant grabbed Allison's wrist and led her through to the outside.

"Get me that Hatter and girl!" cried the Duchess to her soldiers who had appeared seconds too late.

Allison looked back and saw a wave of cards rolling after them. For a second she almost believed they wouldn't make it until Tarrant took a sharp turn into a patch of trees and hid behind one of the larger ones. Allison tried to control her breathing so they wouldn't hear but she wasn't too confident in herself.

Allison felt a tapping on her wrist and looked up at Tarrant. His eyes moved up towards the tree tops and he gestured his head up. Allison didn't understand what he was trying to sign to her until he began mouthing, "Up the tree".

Allison shook her head no and mouthed, "Too high."

Tarrant too shook his head and again gestured up. He laced his fingers, meaning for Allison to use them as a step to get up into the tree. Allison swallowed back her fear. If she could make it pass the Red Canyons, and the mother Jabberwocky, surely she could get up into a tree. Sighing in defeat she stepped in his laced hands and groped the tree as she was shot up to the braches. She grabbed onto one thick enough to hold her weight and pulled herself up. She hugged the tree for fear of falling as Tarrant climbed up after her and settled himself on an opposite branch. They watched as the cards ran past them, each one wondering where the captives could have gotten to. Allison looked to Tarrant and saw him smiling at her. She smiled back and almost began to laugh for no reason.

* * *

Special thanks to **Mercedes Aria **for the review. It really made my day :)


	8. The Raving Tea Party

Time Pieces

The Raving Tea Party

"Of all the silly nonsense, this is the stupidest tea party I've ever been to in all my life." Alice.

After watching the card soldiers double back for the castle, Tarrant slowly slid down the tree and looked around to make sure all had left. When pleased that they were alone, he looked up to Allison.

"You can come down now," he said.

Allison, still hugging the tree, shook her head. "Nope, not coming down."

"Let's not be silly Alice."

"Allison, and I am not being silly, I'm being serious. You got me up this tree, so you're going to get me down."

Tarrant shook his head in wonder. Why was this girl being so ridiculous? It was maddening.

"You need to come down. I'll help you but only if you let go of the trunk."

Allison whined before slowly unhooking her arms from around the trunk. Tarrant nodded in encouragement as she slid her legs to one side of the branch and placed her hands on either side of her.

"Okay," she said with a shaky voice. "I'm ready."

"Now, just hang from branch and I'll catch you," Tarrant instructed.

"Hang from the branch?" she shouted. "I am not hanging from no branch!"

"If you would just do as I tell you-"

"Okay, okay, okay," Allison took a deep breath. "I'm going to hang from the tree now."

She slid down the branch, holding on by her hands alone when she felt Tarrant grab her ankles.

"Alright, now let go slowly."

Allison moaned and closed her eyes. She wished more than anything she didn't have to do this. Taking another deep breath, she slowly relaxed her grip and as she descended, Tarrant caught her around her waist.

"See," he said. "That wasn't so hard. Now, can you let go of me?"

Allison didn't even realize that she was clutching his hands around her waist with a mighty death grip. She dropped her hands as he did the same. She thanked him and as they recovered their composure and regained their bearings, they set off.

Exiting the small patch of trees they saw a hill up ahead. Allison groaned when she realized that they'd have to go up the hill. Her feet still hurt despite her rest. Tarrant too wasn't happy to see the hill and he didn't even get a chance to rest. Making their way up the incline, Tarrant decided to open conversation.

"Want to know why they call me the Mad Hatter?" he asked.

"Because you wear a hat?"

Tarrant paused. ". . . No."

Allison laughed as Tarrant just said never mind and forgot about it.

"Did you think of an answer to the riddle?" Tarrant asked another question.

"No but I have another one for you."

Tarrant smiled, clearly enjoying himself.

"How doth the little crocodile improve his shining tail, and pour the waters of the Nile on every golden scale?"

Tarrant stopped to think before answering, "How cheerfully he seems to grin, how neatly spreads his claws," pause. "And welcomes little fishes in with gently smiling jaws!"

Allison's mouth dropped. She had never expected in a thousand years for anyone to get the answer. "How'd you know that? I thought it was impossible to solve."

Tarrant laughed. "It's so vague, it's obvious!" he announced.

"That doesn't make any sense. . ."

"And neither does a girl falling into another world by way of a mirror but you don't see me questioning anything."

Allison frowned. "It's not like I can help my situation. How was I supposed to know it was some portal to another world?"

"Better than falling through a rabbit hole," assured Tarrant.

"But I'm too big for a rabbit hole."

Tarrant snorted. "I'll say."

Allison was offended. "Hey! That's not nice!"

"Nice is as nice does and I haven't done a nice thing once. Did I just make a rhyme?"

"No, 'once' and 'does' do not rhyme. And I'm sure you do plenty of nice things."

Their discussion had carried them to the top of hill. Once at the top, they stopped.

"Is that a blue shield over there?" Allison asked.

Across the way was a blue-looking bubble encasing a large portion of land.

"Do we go through it?" she asked unsure.

Tarrant looked around. "I don't see any other way."

They continued walking and stepped through the blue globe. Right away, they noticed a change in their appearance. Allison's tunic and tights had turned into a pink, frilly dress complete with white bows and lace. Tarrant's ragged mess of clothes had changed into a brown coat and breeches.

"What the-"

"It appears the Duchess has one last trick up her sleeve," explained Tarrant as he pointed down across the way.

Allison looked to where he pointed and was surprised to see a long table with people seated on all sides. She was displeased to see two seats empty. The two were obviously meant for them.

"It looks like a tea party," Tarrant commented.

"Yeah," Allison replied. "A tea party we're _not_ attending." She gathered up her skirts and began trekking back to find a way around when Tarrant grabbed her arm.

"There's no escaping this Alice," he retorted. "This is clearly a test meant to trap us."

"Which is exactly why we must go."

Tarrant shook his head, hat still poised on to. "Not if we pass it."

Allison huffed as her arms went akimbo. "We're not passing anything. We're getting out of here and finding another way around. I am not going to sit through a tea party set up by the Duchess who is out to kill me!"

"We'll sit for only a minute," he accommodated.

Allison debated with herself for a minute before finally surrendering. "Fine, we can go. But only for _one_ minute," she emphasized their agreement.

Tarrant nodded, grabbed her hand, and led her to the long tea table. As they got close enough to see who was already seated, Allison gasped in shock. They were people she knew from her world! Her eighth grade math teacher and an ex-boyfriend were seated on one side with an empty chair next to the ex. On the opposite side sat her bully from school and an old neighbor with an empty seat beside the neighbor as well. And seated at the head of the table was her mother. All were dressed in appropriate colonial wear.

"Oh Allison," her mother stood from her chair. "Sweetheart, come sit down and join us!" She sounded pleasant enough but Allison still was hesitant.

"We should go," she said instead.

"Is that your mother?"

Allison nodded and grabbed Tarrant's arm. "We really should go."

"What is your mother doing here? And why wouldn't you want to see her? You've been here three days, surely you miss her."

Allison snorted. "Surely not."

"But she's your mother."

"Sweetheart are you going to join us or not?" her mother asked.

Just as Allison was about to answer no, Tarrant grabbed her hand and forcefully pulled her to the table. Now that they were close enough, Allison could see them all smiling at her.

"Do you know these others?"

Nodding, "Yes, she's an old math teacher I had, made me fail every test because I never showed my work. He's an ex-boyfriend who cheated on me. Twice. She's an old neighbor who used to yell at me every morning for playing in her yard. It was never me though. And she used to bully me back in high school."

"All these people have a bad past with you," observed Tarrant.

"Kind of like you and **Time** huh?"

Tarrant was about to reply when her mother cut him off. "Sit, dear, will you? We've been waiting for you."

Allison took her seat next to the old neighbor and Tarrant sat in the one beside her ex-boyfriend. There were no better words to describe the situation than unusual and uncomfortable. Allison tapped her fingers on the edge of the table, unsure of what to do. Her mother smiled at her amiably. This truly was strange. Was Allison going mad?

"First, I believe there is some unfinished business between you and our other lovely guests. Perhaps you would like to settle accounts with them before we enjoy ourselves with some tea and cookies? Oh, and we have these little, tiny cakes too." She presented a small sweet from one of the display stands.

Confused, Allison looked to Tarrant for guidance but he merely shrugged, signifying that he too didn't understand the situation.

"Okay," she agreed hesitantly.

Her mother smiled and nodded. "If I remember correctly, Ms. Watson would like to go first." She gestured for the old neighbor to speak her piece.

Ms. Watson turned to Allison and frowned. "You messed up my lawn!" she declared.

Taken aback by her sudden accusation, Allison took a second to recover before defending herself, "That wasn't me in your yard Ms. Watson."

"You ruined my petunias, muddied up my poor little Prince Albert, and broke one of my windows!"

"But that wasn't me Ms. Watson. Jake is the one who ruined your petunias, Sara got your cat muddy, and Robert broke your window. None of that was me."

Ms. Watson paused. "Are you not Sara?"

Allison shook her head. "No, I'm Allison Fisher, the girl who lived to the right of you."

"Oh, dear me, I'm so sorry child, I thought you had done all those terrible things."

And so it continued. Allison settled business with each person in turn, her math teacher, her antagonist, and her ex-boyfriend. Each one had a complaint and each **time** Allison had a legitimate answer to defend herself. The guests gave her a hard time at first before finally realizing their faults and apologizing for giving her a hard **time**. Her mother smiled throughout each exchange.

"Good," her mother clapped her hands together. "Now we can enjoy each other's company and feast on these delicious treats!"

The guests all dug into their tea and finger foods, leaving Allison and Tarrant to stare at each other.

"Now what?" Allison whispered to Tarrant.

He shrugged his shoulders. "The only person left is your mother," he pointed out.

Allison shook her head. "I'm not touching that with a ten-foot pole."

"Where do you have a ten-foot pole?"

As Allison was about to reply, her mother interrupted, "Whispering isn't very polite my dear."

Allison sat back in her chair, embarrassed for being reprimanded. Mrs. Fisher sat in her chair at the head of the table, smiling proudly at everyone. Here her daughter finally was making progress with the public and actually looked presentable for once. The only problem now was that friend of hers. She quickly came up with a plan to get rid of him.

"I have news about the manor," she announced to Allison.

"Manor?"

"The Kingsleigh Manor, don't tell me you've forgotten already-"

Allison quickly interrupted. "Oh, no, no, no, I do remember Mother. Please, what's the news." Allison was trying to be as polite as possible. She still had to figure out what the test really was and how to get out of it.

"It's been sold!"

"Sold? In three days?"

"Silly it hasn't been three days, more like three hours."

Allison's eyes bulged. "How do you sell a mansion in three hours? It takes weeks, months, sometimes even years!"

Her mother laughed. "That's the beauty of it. The appraiser actually already knew someone willing to buy right there as is. We're rich now!" Ms. Fisher let out peals of laughter that only grated against Allison's ears. "Oh, we're new money!" The giggling was beginning to get on Allison's nerves. "You have school completely paid off for now Sweetie!" Allison hadn't even thought of school since she arrived in Underland. "We can buy a big house and live in an upper class neighborhood because that's what we are now, upper class," she paused and an evil glint appeared in her eyes. "Which means, you're going to need to hang around people of our caliber now."

"What do you mean?" Allison asked, suspicious of her mother's meaning. She was clearly up to something.

"That means, that you and your new friend should no longer be. . .friends."

Allison deadpanned. "What?"

Her mother rolled her eyes and repeated in a sing-song voice, "You and your friend can no longer be friends. What's so difficult about that?"

Allison looked to Tarrant who only shrugged.

"Tarrant and I are on a quest Mother. I need to be around him until it's completed. Furthermore," she added sharply. "You have no say in who I'm friends with. If I want to be friends with Tarrant then I'll be friends with Tarrant."

"But he's no good dear, just look at his ragged clothes."

Allison looked at him again before snapping. "He's in a freakin' coat and breeches Mother, how is that raggedy?"

Her mother sniffled. "He's bad news Allison. He even upset **Time** and got the whole world frozen in place. That doesn't sound like a good friend to me."

"Tarrant has been a perfect friend! He's saved me twice! How is that not a good friend?"

"Allison please lower your voice," pleaded her mother softly.

"No," Allison threw down her napkin. "I'm tired of you controlling my life. I'm twenty-two not thirteen, I'm an adult!"

"Who still lives at home," Ms. Fisher added quickly.

Allison's control broke. After twenty-two years of oppression and verbal abuse, she finally snapped. She stood from her chair and used it as a stool to get on the table. Everyone, except Tarrant who simply clapped his hands, gasped.

"What are you doing Allison?" her mother exclaimed. "Get down this instant!"

"If I want to stand on tables, I'll do so!"

"Have you gone mad?"

Allison paused to think but then smiled and laughed. "Yes, I've gone mad. I've been with a madman for three days and I've finally snapped. I don't care what you think about me anymore Mother."

Allison kicked over some display trays and stomped on the treats. She knocked over tea cups, apart from Tarrant's who grabbed his protectively. Allison made her way towards her mother slowly, stomping and kicking over tea cups, tea trays, and display stands. The tea stained the bottom of her pink dress and the cookies and cakes muddied her white boots. At one point she even did a little jig as Tarrant clapped out the beat. The closer she got to her mother, the more her mother's face reddened. The clapping, the stomping, the kicking, the jigging were all infuriating her.

Allison finally stopped in front of her mother's dish and slowly tipped over her tea cup, which fell and stained her mother's white dress. Sanity flashed through Allison and she briefly thought that she had completely gone overboard but she pushed the feeling down. She need to stay mad in order to be brave.

"You have acted immaturely-"

"You've acted immaturely!" Allison shouted in her mother's face. "For my whole life you've always taken the easy way out, trying to find ways to cheat others for more money, for a bigger cut. You've gambled, hustled, and whored all in the name of money. That is immature _Mother_."

The guests gasped at her language but Allison continued on. She ignored them and her mother's red face.

"You've never taken responsibility for your actions or mistakes. You never once stopped to think about the future or consequences," Allison choked up at the last part. "And, you never once told me that you loved me."

Her mother struggled to say, "You have no right to speak to your mother-"

"Mother?" interrupted Allison. "You've never been a mother to me but just some woman ordering me around and dictating my life. For twenty-two years I listened to you and now, I'm not listening anymore."

Allison felt someone grab her hand and looked down to see Tarrant staring up at her. She looked back to her mother and saw her face was reddening even more.

"You've made your mother very upset Allison, very upset indeed."

Allison felt Tarrant tug on her hand again. "I think it's **time** to go."

"What do you mean?"

"Any redder and she's going to explode," he used his other hand to gesture for more effect and laughed.

Turning back to her mother, she saw what he meant. She truly was going to explode. Tarrant helped Allison jump from the table and hand in hand ran to the edge of the blue bubble. Before they could reach the border, an explosion shook them off their feet. Flying past the blue wall, they landed in a heap on the ground. Allison groaned from the landing and untangled her limbs from Tarrant's.

"Look Alice!" Tarrant exclaimed.

Not even bothering to correct him, she looked down and saw that their clothes had changed back to normal. She turned around to find the blue bubble and the tea party inside were all gone. There wasn't even a hole in the ground left from the explosion. No sign was left at all that anything had been there.

Allison laughed, clearly pleased that she had passed the test and managed to escape the Duchess once more. Tarrant rose and placed his hat back on his head. He tapped Allison's head, meaning for her to get up. Allison used Tarrant's outstretched hand to help her up and stood beside him as they scoured their surroundings to regain their bearings. Tarrant looked up at the sun to judge their position.

"We're almost there," he announced.

"Really?"

Tarrant nodded. "We should get there before nightfall."

Allison smiled, delighted that they were so close to their destination. All they had to do was keep moving and they would reach **Time**'s castle in no **time**.


	9. The Time Keeper's Castle

Time Pieces

The **Time** Keeper's Castle

"No wonder you're late. Why, this watch is exactly two days slow." The Mad Hatter.

The journey was almost at an end as **Time**'s castle loomed in the near distance. Allison sighed in relief, ecstatic to know that she was so close to going home. But then there was that little piece of her that couldn't get in line with the rest of her. It actually wanted to stay in Underland and never return. It was strange. There was nothing here that would make her want to stay.

She saw Tarrant staring at her and asked him what was wrong.

"You're quiet leads me to believe that you're thinking and thinking leads to terrible things as I've found."

"What do you mean?" Allison queried.

"Thinking a thought will most likely lead that thought to reality therefore you'd no longer be thinking a thought but doing that thought. And thoughts are boundless-"

Tarrant was talking himself in circles and Allison was trying to keep up but she doubted he even knew what he was saying. After a **time** he stopped and looked at Allison.

"Did you follow that?"

Allison laughed. It'd be ridiculous to expect anyone to understand his jumbled speech. "No, not really."

"Oh," he sounded disappointed. "I wish you had."

Allison immediately felt bad. "I'm sorry, I'll pay closer attention next **time**," she promised.

"No, it's not that," he assured. "I just can't remember what we were talking about."

"Good, it wasn't anything important. Actually it was one of the most dull discussions I've ever had."

"Well, next **time **we should have a more thrilling topic to discuss."

They continued the rest of the way in amiable conversation, covering other mundane topics such as Allison's school, Tarrant's work, and the politics of Underland. Tarrant even explained why Alice was so important to everyone, including himself.

"You must really miss her huh?"

Tarrant nodded, the color in his face weakening. "She was like a sister to me."

Allison smiled with little enthusiasm, knowing that her new friend was slowly falling into a depression. "Well, I'm sorry I'm not the right Alice, or _an_ Alice to be exact."

"Is it true that your mother is going to sell her house?"

Allison nodded. "Yeah, as soon as she possibly can. It isn't even fair Tarrant," she ranted. "I'm the heir of the manor not her. I should be in charge of its fate."

"What would you do to it?"

She shrugged. "Make use of it. Turn it into a museum or an inn. Do something other than selling it to someone who's just going to tear it down."

"How tragic."

Tarrant fell into a silence and Allison pitied him for a moment. "At least we're almost there," she said in an attempt to cheer him up.

Tarrant looked up and saw that she was right. The large double doors loomed in front of them. The sheer size made Allison feel as if it housed a giant.

"Is **Time** big?"

Tarrant shook his head. "No he's regular size like you and me. He's just. . .exorbitant."

As they reached the doors, Allison wondered how they would even get them open. Tarrant pushed against them to test out the weight but as he touched the doors, they mysteriously opened on their own. Tarrant stepped back in surprise and bumped into Allison who grabbed onto him to steady him. The doors opened with a groan and with a loud grate settled into place.

"I guess he's expecting us?" Allison asked.

"Or it's just his usual display of grandiosity.

They walked through the door together and entered the dark castle. The only light they could see was coming from a far off hallway so they decided to start there. As they entered the hall, they noticed the black walls, floor, and ceiling. Every few feet would be another light, illuminating the black hall.

"You still don't think he's expecting us?"

Tarrant didn't answer but simply continued walking, wary when they turned a corner. Allison took notice of his odd behavior, even odder than his usual, and decided to ask about it.

"Why are you being so cautious?"

"There might be traps set up around here," he explained.

"Why would you think that?"

"This is too easy. Doors opening up for us, hallways pre-lit. Something's up."

Just as he said that the floor dropped out and the two slid down a slide that swept them down into a large room. When they fell to the floor in a heap, a wall opened and a giant clock hand came out, swinging like a pendulum. Allison jumped up and shouted at Tarrant to do the same. But he jumped up too late and was hit by the swing. It knocked him into a wall that triggered its release and fell through. Allison reached out for him but the wall closed shut, resealing itself. She ran into the wall and began banging on it, demanding it reopen for her. Hearing a creak she turned and saw the clock hand heading right back towards her. She backed up against the wall as tight as she could and waited for the pendulum to knock her through the wall next. However, the hand just barely touched her before swinging back to the other side.

Allison deflated, sighing in relief and turned back to the wall the bang on it some more. A bright light from the side distracted her though and she turned to look. It was coming from a door that had opened up. Hesitating and debating on whether or not to go through, Allison decided that it would be for the best to leave the area and find Tarrant another way.

Going through the door, she noticed that it resembled the hallway they started out in. Allison decided to run instead of walk and took off down the hall. Her pace increased the further down she got but the hallway just seemed to go on forever. She wondered if she'd ever find Tarrant.


	10. Rescuing a Madman

Time Pieces

Rescuing a Madman

"Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction." The Doorknob.

Allison was beginning to tire out and her pace slowed. Soon she was merely walking, feeling along the walls for any seam or crack that would be a means of an opening. When she found none, her hopes started slipping. How could she find Tarrant?

All of a sudden, the ground shook and Allison was thrown into a wall. The ground beneath her dropped out and she fell through. Falling to the ground, she hit with a solid thud and moaned in pain. She rolled onto her back and rested for a moment, letting the ache subside. Once she felt well enough, Allison rose to her feet slowly, testing out her legs and back. Satisfied that nothing was broken, she began assessing the situation. Just as she started looking around the lights flashed on and uncovered the mass of dark space.

Allison saw that she was in a colossal, expansive room. It was so immense she couldn't see to the other side. But she could see that placed in the middle was a pedestal with a huge hourglass placed atop.

Allison squinted her eyes and was shocked by what she saw. Tarrant was sitting inside the hourglass! Allison jumped and waved her arms wildly.

"Tarrant!" she yelled.

Her voice echoed across the room and was carried all the way to Tarrant. He lifted his head and upon seeing Allison, jumped up with joy and tapped on the glass.

"Alice!" came the muffled reply.

Allison rolled her eyes. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted back, "It's Allison!"

She was happy to see he was alright. That is, until the sand started falling. It was like the straight out of Aladdin, only Allison was the hero and Tarrant was the damsel in distress. She ran to save him but once she stepped on the crossing, it began to fall out tile by tile. Allison shrieked and stepped back in surprise.

"Oh, no, no, no, no! This isn't happening. Not again. Not heights. Anything but this!"

The floor ceased to fall but the sand still continued to fill the bottom well of the hourglass. It was up to Tarrant's ankles as he continued to bang against the glass. Allison paced the length of the platform, trying to figure out how she could get across without dealing with the height issue. She couldn't see any way around it and knew that she had to cross it.

Allison stepped back up to the edge and put her foot out. A wave of fear crashed into her and she lost her nerve. She stepped back a few paces to put more distance between her and the edge.

Looking at Tarrant, her heart broke to see him struggling to stay up on top of the sand. Closing her eyes and willing for some bravery to fill her veins instead of the terrible dread.

"Alice!"

Allison took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and took a running jump to the next tile. Her feet hit solid flooring and she was relieved that she made the distance. Until the tile she was on began to shake. Allison jumped to the tile after that and watched as the shaking tile fell down into the deep, deep blackness. That tile began shaking too and Allison quickly jumped to the next one. It continued, tiles shaking, Allison jumping, tiles falling. Allison didn't know how long she could handle the intensity of the situation but she kept on. She had to if she didn't want to fall.

Allison finally reached the pedestal with one last jump. However, her boot slipped and she fell, dangling from the edge. The sand had reached Tarrant's neck and was burying him deeper. Allison struggled to stay on the platform. She tried to pull herself up inch by inch and soon was able to throw a leg up and tug herself up the rest of the way.

She used the glass to pull herself to her feet and quickly began to bang on the glass. All she could see of him was a hand stretched up, pressed against the surface. Allison searched for something to break the hourglass with and found a clock hand, the size of a large lead pipe nearby on the edge. She lunged for it, grasped it in her hands, and began striking at the glass. On the third strike, the glass shattered and the sand swept out the hole. Allison grabbed Tarrant's body as it slipped out and clutched it close to her. She struggled to stay on the pedestal as the sand filed out and almost swept her away with it.

As the last of the sand fell out, Allison was able to relax and fell down under the weight of her friend. He was unconscious and she tried shaking him to wake him. When that didn't work she tried calling his name and even slapped him a few times. But nothing could wake him. She almost began to give him mouth-to-mouth until the tiles started to fall away again one by one.

"No!" Allison screamed out.

She begged to whatever gods were in charge of Underland but the tiles just kept falling. One after another until all that was left were the two Allison had managed to wrestle herself and Tarrant onto.

"Please," she begged. "Please!"

"Please what?" asked a voice.

"Please stop it!"

"Why?"

Allison began crying. "I don't want to fall," she wept.

"Why should I save you when everyone forgot about me?" the voice demanded.

"I'm sorry! We're all so sorry! In fact, we'll do anything to make it up to you but please stop this!"

"What will you do?"

"I don't know," she wailed. "A whole day dedicated to you? A celebration ball in your name? Something, anything!"

The voice paused. "You would do that?"

"Yes!" she cried out.

The last tile fell out from beneath them and Allison screamed as she felt herself falling. But she only fell a few feet when she hit ground. She groaned as Tarrant's body fell on top of her. But at least it woke him up.

"What's that?" he asked in a jumble of words.

"Tarrant!" Allison exclaimed in joy. "You're awake!"

"Alice, you saved me," he said as he sat up.

She laughed, her nerves still flaring. "It's Allison."

Tarrant nodded. "I know, Alice. So, did we do it? Did we convince **Time** to unfreeze everything?"

Allison blinked. "Actually, I just asked for the tiles to not fall. Which they did anyways."

"I have unfrozen everything," said the voice. "You may return to your home now as long as you have a celebration ball in my honor."

"Deal," Allison said quickly, in case **Time** changed his mind.

Tarrant looked at Allison and pointed out the fact that they had no packs. "We don't have any food to get us home."

Allison looked, not too sure where to direct her attention to. "Can you help us with that?"

"Of course."

In a flash of white light that made Allison and Tarrant both close their eyes, they were teleported back to Marmoreal. Opening their eyes they saw white castle in front of them and jumped up, smiles on their faces.

"Come on Tarrant, let's go home."

Tarrant offered Allison his arm, who took it gratefully, and they began their short walk back to the castle, back to home.


	11. The Celebration Ball

Time Pieces

The Celebration Ball

"I have an excellent idea, LET'S CHANGE THE SUBJECT." The March Hare.

The celebration ball was a big hit with everyone in attendance. And everyone was in attendance. Even **Time** managed to make it. He danced around with Mirana a few songs before joining the dormouse at the punch table for a chat. Allison looked around at the people dressed in their finest clothing. She had borrowed a gown from Mirana for this grand occasion. She thought the ball gown was a bit much with its long white skirts but she managed somehow anyways. Allison danced around with the Tweedles for a couple of songs before being overtaken by Tarrant.

Allison laughed as he danced her around the entire room like a madman. "Slow down there partner, we're going faster than the song."

"Faster?" he asked before increasing the speed.

"No!" Allison cried out in between giggles. "Slow down Tarrant!"

He silently followed orders and slowed the speed down to fit the song. "Can you stand on your head?" he asked to make conversation.

"No," she shook her head. "But I can stand on my hands. It's called a handstand. Can you stand on your head?"

Tarrant looked insulted. "Of course I can stand on my head! All the best people can stand on their heads!"

"I heard something about you also being able to 'fudderwagon'?" she asked, unsure of how to pronounce it.

"You mean futterwacken?"

"Yes, that's it!"

"Why, I'm the best futterwacker in all of Underland."

"Can I see?"

Tarrant came to an immediate halt, causing Allison to bump into him. He let go of her hand and waist took a few steps back to allow him some space to move. And then, he futterwacked. Allison couldn't think of any way to describe it and started cheering him on as a crowd circled around them.

After he was through and had resumed dancing with Allison she asked him if he was quite popular because of that dance. Tarrant smiled and nodded proudly.

"Allison!"

The girl in question stopped dancing and looked around to see who had called her name. And by her correct name too.

"Who's Allison?" Tarrant asked confused. "Do you know Allison, Alice?"

Too tired to correct the man for the umpteenth time, Allison merely replied, "Yes, I know Allison."

Mirana grabbed her arm from out of the crowd and gently lead her to a less crowded area. Tarrant simply followed.

"It's time to go Allison," the White Queen announced.

"What?"

Allison wasn't ready to go. She was having too much fun. Besides, who would want to go back to the life she was leading?

"Now?" she asked.

Mirana nodded. "I'm afraid so. This is your only chance."

Mirana led her to a mirror on the wall and everyone else gathered round. They would miss their new hero who had only been in Underland for barely four days. Allison looked around and to her dismay, couldn't find Tarrant in the crowd.

"My only chance to go home?"

Again, Mirana nodded. Allison looked around at all the faces that would miss her. Who did she have back at home? Her mother? That was laughable at best.

"I-I don't want to go home," she managed to get out.

Mirana looked a little shocked. "Well, I guess you don't have to go home. I suppose you could stay here."

Allison became hopeful. "Really? I can really stay?"

"Of course, we welcome everyone. Alice, chose not to stay."

Allison smiled. "So, where do I stay?"

"You can stay here in my castle if you wish and become a part of my court."

"Really?"

"You are our hero after all."

"I'm staying," Allison repeated to herself, amazed that she was actually going to live in this alien world.

She began to look for Tarrant and saw him standing alone in a corner. Picking up her skirts, she swiftly ran to him and as she approached he looked up.

"Come to say goodbye?" he asked, his face turning slightly blue.

"No, I'm staying," she explained.

Tarrant's withered look grew happy again and he smiled. "You're staying?"

"Yes!"

Tarrant laughed and took Allison into his arms and began dancing across the floor again. Allison didn't care about her mother or going back to the manor, this was her home now. Her home was here in Underland, with Tarrant, and all others.

Allison Fisher finally had all the **time** in the world to spend with the people she now loved.

**THE END.**


	12. Author's Note

Time Pieces

Author's Note

So I finally completed **Time Pieces**. Someone asked for a sequel and at the moment I have to say sorry but I can't do that. If I get any inspiration I promise that a sequel will be its way but right now, I just wouldn't know what to write about. I feel content that Allison and Tarrant's adventures are over. If they do have more, then I'll write about them. But it might take awhile. And by awhile I mean months. I'll try to think up a sequel and will let you know the verdict.

-Miss Mercury Blue


End file.
